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Father, daughter sentenced in meth case
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A judge Thursday said two members of a family sentenced for having methamphetamine in their home are very lucky other family members were not harmed by their recklessness.
Judge Anthony D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court said James Bevins, 48, and his daughter Chetara Bevins, 26, both of Sebring, are lucky that none of the materials they used to make the drug ever wound up in the hands of Chetara’s children, age 5 and 7.
Judge D’Apolito said he also was concerned that the children slept in a room next to a room that had an assault rifle and lived in a house with methamphetamine residue throughout.
“The role of a mother is to protect her children from the ugliness of the world, not to bring the ugliness of the world to your child,” Judge D’Apolito said.
Chetara Bevins was sentenced to three years’ probation on a charge of aggravated possession of drugs and must comply with the day-reporting program at Community Corrections Association. That sentence was agreed upon by defense attorneys and prosecutors.
James Bevins was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of aggravated possession of drugs and endangering children. Prosecutors will not oppose a request for early release from prison.
Deann Bevins, wife of James Bevins, will be sentenced at a later date.
Information on the custody of the children was not available after the sentencings.
Judge D’Apolito said a presentence investigation showed that James Bevins made his wife and daughter buy cold medication for him so he could make methamphetamine. The judge said the two bought a combined 64 packets of cold medicine within a month. One of the ways the crime was discovered was when investigators found out they were buying a large amount of cold medicine.
James Bevins and Chetara Bevins originally were charged with child endangering and illegal possession of chemicals for the manufacture or assembly of drugs, but the drug charges were amended to aggravated possession of drugs as part of their plea agreements.
Alan Kuzman, attorney for James Bevins, said his client has been in treatment since he was arrested and has had the same job for 20 years. Judge D’Apolito said he was pleased with his progress, but added that his actions caused a significant danger to his grandchildren and the community and for that reason a prison sentence was necessary.
“That cannot be allowed to happen in our community, even by good people,” Judge D’Apolito said.
The judge also warned Chetara Bevins that if she violated her probation, she would go to prison. Her lawyer, Ron Yarwood, said the family was not making the drugs to sell them but because they were addicted.